Innocently Reluctant
by sinkingdeep9
Summary: All it takes is a second for someone to breathe. A minute for someone to walk a three meters and tell someone they love them. Six years for Lily Evans' repulsion to James Potter to wear off. And a week for her to fall in love with him.
1. Chapter 1

If there's one thing I hate, it's sweaty boys offering me ABC gum (Already Been Chewed). Ergh. Gross. Really gross... My thoughts trailed off as I tried to concentrate on the Transfiguration essay we had been set to do. I found myself staring at a blank parchment, quite at loss as to what to do. I sighed as I saw Potter's quill whizzing over the parchment confidently, stopping every once in a while to dip into his inkwell.

"What's the matter, Lilykins?" someone breathed in my ear. My temper flared and I scowled fiercely. Amos Diggory, who I'd dated a couple of times and then broken off with, was nosing around my privacy. Again.

"You just keep your sodden head out of people's business, Diggory!" I attempted to 'say' calmly. Although the way it sounded was something like a cross between strangled yell and a mutter.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the ends of Potter's mouth curving upwards slightly - _very _slightly.

"Isn't it my business if I catch my old girl staring at Potter?" Amos asked, innocently. The referred bespectacled person's mouth dropped open. So did mine. "My, my," Amos snickered, "Even your mouths synchronize together. Now isn't that just sweet? What's going to happen next, a comfy bed for two?"

That did it. I stood up, my chair falling backwards. I swung my hand back and slapped him as hard as I could. The impact reverberated throughout the silent Hall.

Diggory winced in pain. The Marauders winced in sympathy.

Both Black and Potter had experience with such bodily impacts with me.

"One more word out of your flabby mouth, Diggory, and you'll be really sorry," I muttered, murderously. It was then I realized that the whole Hall was gaping at us.

Luckily, Black stood up and asked everybody - rather arrogantly, "And what are _you_ staring at?"

Rilla Chang laughed from the Ravenclaw table, and the usual buzz of conversation filled the place. I gave Black a grateful glance. He just wiggled his fingers and grinned, as if to say, 'Anytime.'

I turned my attention back to the rather intrusive fellow at hand.

"What are you doing here? Did I not tell you to go _away_?," I hissed at Diggory.

The prat shrugged his shoulders and said, "Not specifically."

"Then get lost. Fast."

He caught the look on my face and went to the Hufflepuff table. Fast.

His sister flashed an apologetic smile my way, and I managed to nod, stiffly. When I looked back, I saw her talking angrily to Diggory, while he sat, subdued. Perhaps Rose Diggory knew how to handle her brother after all.

I sighed, returning to my essay.

And I still couldn't help glancing at Potter secretly through the rest of lunch.

* * *

Later, as I made my way to the Gryffindor Tower, I bumped into a tall, warm, nice-cologne-smelling someone. I looked up, and to my horror, realized it was Potter.

"Oh!" he said, obviously startled. His hazel eyes widening in slight alarm, he backed off. I had never encountered Potter like this. He never seemed vulnerable and embarassed or anything remotely related. Privately, I thought he was never capable of such things.

Until now.

"Uh," I said, trying to stare at the Fat Lady, and failing."Yeah. The password. What is it again?" I stammered.

The woman grinned, "Now I can't tell you _that_, can I?" I rolled my eyes.

"Potter, what's the password?" I asked, politely. He was looking at me apprehensively. Extremely uneasy, he said,"Hobgoblin."

The portrait swung open. No-one was in the common room.

"Listen, about this morning - " I started, hating myself for bringing up the topic. But a part of me still wanted to clear the matter with him.

"Nothing, Evans," he muttered, bitterly, "Nothing at all. Nothing happened out of the ordinary. You slapped someone, as usual. The only thing was that it wasn't me. The reason why you slapped that someone, was, however, the usual - me. That's all. That happens every afternoon, every day, every night. I'm pretty used to it, since it's happened for six years. You don't have to explain anything. Bye." And he went into the portrait hole and up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

I bit my lip. A moody James Potter was no good news. And an angry Lily Evans wasn't either, I admitted to myself. So I took a deep, shaky breath ( _- was I going to cry...?_), climbed the into the hole and nestled down into a sofa that faced the portrait. I reached into my bag and pulled out the heaviest book - Ancient Runes. I knitted my brows as I tried to remember exactly till what pages I had to read.

"_... and be careful to read page 32 to 89 attentively for next Monday. We will also discuss hieroglyphic spells, so make sure you have read Chapter 15 thoroughly and have a report on them in our next class,_" I remembered Professor Alonne saying, in his monotonous voice. I sighed. Next class was day after tomorrow and Chapter 15 was about a hundred pages long, with a report... and then the rest of the reading homework - that was on the Indus Valley wizarding pictographs. _Well_, I said consolingly to myself, _at least he didn't specify how long the report would be. You can just make it about half a foot._

Someone was walking down the staircase again. It came from my left. I froze. The staircase on the left was the boys' staircase. If it was Potter, I'd... I don't know what I'd do, I realized, helplessly. What could you do to a moody guy who you indirectly insulted (and hated officially) - and suddenly felt sorry for him? Not much.

I decided to act normal, and I turned the page, remembering that I had to read. Sure enough, an extremely familiar somebody approached the portrait hole. And all of a sudden, I sneezed. I couldn't help it. It was a very unladylike sneeze. Very embarassing, too. Potter turned his head towards me, his face a blank facade. "Oh," he said. He just stood there, frozen for a moment - and then blushed fiercely. "Look, Evans," and he turned fully to me, "I'm really sorry for what I said. It... wasn't exactly very nice, and you didn't deserve it... I'm sorry. Really, I am." He screwed up his mouth, and stared at his feet for a few seconds, waiting for a reply. When he realized there wasn't going to be any, he turned towards the door again and went out. All of a sudden, I dropped the book and followed him.

"Hey, Potter!" I called.

He stopped and turned. "Yeah?" he said, wearily. I suddenly realized that his eyes had lines around them, his cheeks were sunken, and his shoulders were sagging slightly. "James - I just wanted to say... I'm sorry, too." Then I took a deep breath, and added, "For everything." It was my turn to be extremely interested in my shoes.

A hand touched my arm, softly. "You don't have to be," he said, "But thanks, anyway."

And I watched him as he walked off.


	2. Chapter 2

The cool wind whipped my face as I took off through the stadium. _She said sorry_, a little voice piped up in my head. _She said sorry for everything - and she said that to you, of all people_. I scowled, slightly, out of confusion. I was extremely pleased that she'd called me 'James', that she'd said she was sorry for everything... but after all this time, I was also extremely uneasy. After all, people _say _that they're sorry, although they really aren't. Could I trust her...?

Two hours, a Quidditch practice, dinner, and a conversation with Sirius later - "Of course you can trust her, you dope! You've been drooling all over that woman for six years, and now that she's said sorry - sorry for everything - you just have to grab her and twirl her 'round the ballroom! I knew she'd see sense one day," my best mate added. I sighed.

Sirius gave me a shove, "Are you crazy enough to let her go - right when she's finally admitted she likes you?"

"That's the point!" I retorted, clipping him neatly on the side of his head, "She _didn't_ say she likes me! She said she's sorry! That's all. What am I supposed to do with that?" I hung my head, utterly confused.

"You're supposed to make her like you then," Remus said, quietly, "After all, you've been trying to make her like you all this time, right?"

I heaved another sigh, trying not to see sense for some more time - it was luxurious being miserable, you know?

- But I quickly snapped out of it, and grinned. "Merlin, Moony, you've got brains!"

He looked at me innocently, "You mean it wasn't me who came up with the spell for enchanting the pudding onto Snivellus?"

Peter shook his head, "Nope, it was me." Remus gaped at him, then chuckled.

"Now that you've got your outline ready, what's the plan of action?" Sirius prodded.

I screwed up my mouth, thinking. "First off, we stop hexing Snivellus," I announced. It was Sirius' turn to gape.

"Stop _what_?" he gasped, eyes wide as Butterbeer bottlecaps (the Jumbo sized tankard ones).

"Hexing Snape. And less pranks. Not stopping pranks completely," I added hurriedly, as Sirius seemed to hex _me _into outer space. "We want to keep up our portfolio, so we can prank once a month, okay? That's enough. And..." I smiled slightly, "Starting from tomorrow we all - " here Sirius grinned, anticipating a prank, " - we all force Padfoot here to wash his head properly, so he can stop scratching his head and leaving dandruff on all the girls' pillows." Sirius rose up, looking furious, then made a strangled noise, and collapsed onto his bed, muttering creative curses - ah, that is to say, _extremely lovely and colorful _language.

The rest of us took the cue to leave.

* * *

Next week, in an extremely bad mood, Sirius stomped down the staircase.

Apparently, this was a bad move, as it alerted lots of girls into bulging their eyes and chewing their lips - or as Remus so rightly remarked: Turning on the 'flirting-with-Padfoot-mode'. My sister, I noticed with a smirk, was looking distinctly annoyed with her friends, but eyed Sirius seriously all the same, a mischevious smile lurking on her face.

Sirius felt someone 'eyeing' him and looked back at her. She arched an eyebrow and looked pointedly at all the other girls around her who were pretty much swooning over him. "Hi."

He laughed, and said casually, raking his long bangs out of his eyes, "So, how's it going, Jean?"

The other sixth-and-seventh year girls all around the room - except Lily - muttered enviously.

"Oh, I'm fine," Jean said lightly, "You?"

"'M alright," he replied, evenly. But I noticed a slight tinge of red in his cheeks. He was _blushing_. Remus and I snickered quietly. Away in a corner of the common room, Lily hid her smile.

"Oi, Padfoot. Come 'ere. We've... uh... got something for you!" I called.

Looking extremely relieved (although somewhat disappointed), Sirius made his way through the sofas towards us. "Why did you - " he began, furiously, then stopped himself, looking confused again.

I smirked. Remus smirked. Peter giggled.

Sirius scowled, "Okay, okay, get over with it. What is it that you've got for me?"

I gave him a shove."That."

"That?"

"Yep."

"But you could've given that to me anytime!"

"I believe you are regretting your lost chance of asking Prongs' sister out?" Remus chuckled. Sirius gaped, rather taken aback. "Uh... I don't really know..." he said, his eyes on the carpet.

I raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? The great Sirius Black, unsure about a girl? Even more so, my _sister_? What's going on? You aren't seriously, _Siriusly_ serious, right?"

"I'm Sirius. Stop bugging me. And yeah, I'm unsure." Very short and tardy. Very unlike himself.

Remus and I exchanged glances. Peter kept looking furtively from me, to Sirius, to Remus and then to the window. "I think," I said, slowly, "That it's time to cheer up Sirius... with the likes of broomsticks and a little something called Quidditch." It worked. My best mate looked up, grinning.

"I'm in."

We trooped out of the common room, into the corridor, down the stairs, ran through the Great Hall and out of the castle. Pink-faced and breathless, we finally reached the stadium. After some mild quibbling over broomsticks, we took off, Peter squeaking with fear, and Remus looked slightly disturbed as he flew higher and higher.

Flying! Circling low, looping 'round, racing furiously, diving down, dipping to the side, and then twirling back up. It was exhilirating. I was back in my element - where 'worries' were nonexistent. I swooped low over the ground, Remus above me, and Sirius yelping with delight as he zipped through the goals on the other side of the stadium, while Peter was taking some tentative dives. Finally, I decided to get my legs back on the ground for a bit. Remus landed in front of me. Correction: he landed _on_ me. It was very uncomfortable, with my head being squeezed between Remus' knees as he yelled and tried to get onto his feet and kept tripping over my robes which were clinging stubbornly over us and enveloping us in claustrophobic tension.

Finally, he realized he was about to strangle me and somehow managed to crawl off. Coughing and panting, I got to my feet, glaring at him. He looked at me, slightly abashed, "Sorry. Lousy landing."

"I'll say it was a _lousy landing_. It looked like James was drooling on your shin," a new voice spoke up.

The speaker was my sister. She and Lily had walked up. Lily looked ready to burst - and then peal after peal of laughter bubbled up with Jean joining in.

"Uh... Evans? What's wrong?" I asked, alarmed. Had she lost her mind or something?

I looked helplessly at Remus, who looked extremely confused.

"Nothing," Lily managed to gasp out, "Nothing at all. Just the way you two were squirming under your robes."

Remus's face cleared. It also turned red. "It was just a lousy landing," he repeated, "I wasn't really doing anything..."

"No, you weren't doing anything at all - except strangling me between your knees," I retorted. The other two burst into laughter again.

He punched me in the shoulder. Then we turned our attention back to the other two.

"So... what did you come here for?" I asked, curious.

"I wanted to talk to Sirius about something," Jean replied. Remus suddenly choked.

"Yes?" Jean raised an eyebrow, "Is there a problem with that?"

Moony shook his head, apparently not trusting himself to speak. The wind rushed at us, turning Remus's neat hair into a shocking wave. Jean's headband flew off, and Lily's robes were swept up a long way. I cleared my throat and tried to look somewhere else - and failed.

"Is there a problem?" Jean repeated, now directing her question to me as well. It distracted me. Thank goodness.

"The problem," I grinned at her, "Is that Sirius will just be oh-too-happy that you want to speak to him. He... wanted to talk to you too," I added, not too slyly. Jean blushed deeply. I glanced back at Lily and found her robes were now protectively pressed down.

At that moment, Sirius flew up to us. "_Woooo!_" he yelled, as, upside down, his head almost brushed against mine. He landed on his feet - although seconds before, he could've landed on his head in midloop. "That," he said, reverently, "Was the best flying workout I ever had."

He stretched, yawning - and yelped in midyawn. The result was something like a ludicrous hiccup. He'd noticed Jean. And, therefore, made himself look like an utter fool. But of icourse/i.

"Uh - I'm - Oh... erm... hi - hi!" he stammered. I rolled my eyes, and gave him a small private thump on the back.

It seemed to encourage him, because he stood up a little straighter and lost that frightened look from his face.

"Hey," Jean grinned, "What's up with the hiccups?"

"Erm, nothing," Sirius gulped. Then, "Why're you here?"

"Because you're her magnet," Lily giggled. Jean flushed, and so did Sirius.

"Sirius," I said, taking hold of the situation, "While you were racing Peter, Jean announced that she'd like a race against you. What do you say?"

Jean flashed me a grateful glance.

"Well..." Sirius mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He shot me a furtive look. I nodded my head.

"Sure," he said.

He grasped his broomstick, and I gave mine to my sister. "If there was ever a smoothie, Jemmy dear, I'd say it was you," she whispered as I gave it to her.

"Anytime," I whispered back.

Remus conjured up a flag, and dipped it once, twice, and yelled, "Go!"

A streak of brown whizzed past, and closing ahead, a streak of black. When they were far on the other side of the stadium, both figures stopped. They stayed in the air for sometime, and then we heard them laughing like maniacs, and they zipped back again. "Well, I won," Sirius boasted, grinning.

"Won what?" I asked innocently.

"Yeah, a date or a race?" Lily prodded.

"Both," Sirius answered, after a second's confusion.

Jean elbowed him, "No you didn't." He turned to her, flabbergasted.

"Wha - ?"

"I won the race, honey," she explained. He blushed at the 'term of endearment'.

"Dear me!" I said in a high-pitched voice, "Is Sirius dear _blushing_ all over again?"

I didn't have time to duck as the punch hit me hard at the side of my head. I lost my balanced and rolled until I reached a ditch. Trouble was, the wind picked up again. In other words, it pretty much revealed my underwear. I staggered up from the ground for the second in five minutes.

"Well," I muttered, "That was nice of you. See if I help you get any more dates, stupid."

"What?" Sirius was horrorstruck.

"Oho, you think I didn't know you? Or my sister? I'm not ithat/i thick," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh. Sorry."

"That doesn't help my bruised dignity. Or my poor head," I pretended to sniff. I stole a look over at Lily. She was smiling at me. Mischeviously.

I gulped. _Never_, I told myself sternly, _**ever**_ _wear red and gold checkered boxers when you go the Quidditch stadium._ With that reprimand to myself, I said, "Well, now that Sirius is 'cheered up', we can head back to the castle... Wait, where's Pete?" I asked, concerned.

Sirius shrugged, "He said he had to meet someone right now. A little before I landed with that loop, he left."

Remus grinned, "Oi, think it's to meet some girl or something?"

"Remus, you mean you're a boy?" Jean gasped dramatically.

"I am? Oh, God, I can't believe it, I'm a male!" Remus retorted, making a good show of looking surprised.

"Well, we might as well go now, if Pete's busy," I urged. We trooped back to the castle. Fifteen minutes of trudging up stairs, through corridors and lots baneter, we finally reached the portrait hole. Remus went first, Jean and Sirius second, and I was going to go when Lily pulled my hand.

"I have to ask you something," she whispered, looking slightly frightened.

"What is it?" I asked, worried.

"Have you... forgiven me?" she ventured, her voice shaking. Her shoulders were shaking, too.

"Oh, Lily..." was all I could say. I was at loss. I had forgiven her, but I didn't know whether or not I should trust her... I decided to go by my friend's advice. Yes, I could - and I would, too.

"Yes, Lily, I have," I said, quietly, and held her hand, leading her to the common room. Thankfully, it was all empty. I led her to a sofa and sat down next to her, and held her close as her breath came ragged. She let out a strangled sound and sniffed into my shoulder. I could feel something inside me burning, flaming, licking around my stomach. I felt like I was on fire.

Very much on fire.

I could feel my heart thundering against my ribs, as if it was begging to let go. _No_, I told myself, _Impossible. She's just crying into my shoulder. That's all. No reason for hormones to take over_. However, it seemed plenty of reason for hormones to take over when she looked up at me with shining eyes of sparkling emerald, just the tiny bit almond shaped. It seemed plenty of reason for hormones should take over when she whispered, "Thank you."

And it was a fact that hormones should take over when her lips touched mine and I felt her hands tangling in my hair.


	3. Chapter 3

The crazy alarm rang, "_Shrrri_-!" I slapped it onto the floor - where it broke. Actually, I meant to press the button to put the alarm off, but I pretty much failed in doing so. And now I was fully awake. I grumbled at nothing in particular - until the night's events came flooding back. I was so excited that I sat up stark straight in bed, then plopped back down again on my stomach.

I lay there for a long time, grinning into the pillow. _No-one will believe this_, I thought to myself, _I don't really, either. But I did do it. I did kiss him. And he kissed me back._ I let out a high-pitch giggle, forgetting that I was in a dormitory of sleeping girls. "Huh?" I heard Jean groan.

In a fit of esctatic madness, I ripped open the curtains, jumped out of bed, and pulled Jean out of hers. Obediently, she followed me to the bathrooms, but when I shut the door and locked it, she began to look slightly suspicious. "What is it?" she rasped, rubbing her eyes as I flicked on the lights.

"You won't believe it!" I squealed, jumping up and down. She began to smile slightly, catching the excitement that was radiating off me. "Yeah? Try me." She went to the mirror and washed her eyes from gunk.

"I. Kissed. James," I yelped. Leaning sideways into the sink, so her nose was under the stream of running water from the tap, she gaped. As a result, she also choked. I was too busy giggling and twirling to notice. When she recovered, she stood still, her face wet, and dripping onto her shirt, and gaped again.

"You mean my brother?" she asked, trying to confirm that her senses were conveying correctly.

"Yes, yes, yes! Oooooh Merlin!" I yelled, and danced round the bathroom. She watched me, trying to digest that I, after six years of torturing James Potter, was actually esctatic about kissing him. "Uh... wait a minute. I can't even talk properly," she croaked, and grabbed her toothbrush. After she'd finished, she turned round with a sigh, looking considerably brighter.

"Right, so where was I? Oh, yes. I was supposed to congratulate you and act like a mother hen," she smirked, and hugged me till I was blue in the face.

"Okay, okay," I gasped.

She stepped back, and then grinned, excitedly. "Yes! Yes yes yes! _Oh _I am going to have so much fun!"

"You?" I asked, confused. She cackled, evilly. I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, me. I'm going to have so much fun!" she repeated. "Oh dear me, has itty little Lilykins gotten a _boyfriend_? Lily is in _lo-ove_, Lily is in _lo-ove_! Lily and _James_, sittin' on a _log_! _All _they _do_ is snog, snog, _snog_! Muaaaahaaahaaa!"

I felt myself going slightly crimson but smashed it. I sighed, "I should've known that you wouldn't handle this seriously."

"Excuse moi? Handle this _Siriusly_? I know you don't like him that much, but I thought you knew he'd do that!"

"You know what I mean."

"Ah, shut up."

"Oh, dear. Have I touched a _nerve_?" I said in a high-pitched voice, feigning concern. She laughed it off. As I unlocked the bathroom door, I turned back to her and asked, casually, "So, who's on the bed next to you?"

She blushed. Oh, did she blush. Red red red, to the very tips of her toes. "Don't tell James!" she pleaded, looked terrified. "We didn't do anything at all! You saw me, I was fully dressed!"

I screwed up my mouth, "Hmmm... I'll see..."

"See what?" she asked, terrorstricken.

"If _he's _fully dressed too."

"Don't you dare!"

"Oops, yeah. I forgot. He's your property," I chuckled. I saw the look on her face, though, and quickly said, "No, _Siriusly _I was just joking!"

She smirked. I heaved a sigh of relief. Jean is a serious sparkplug to be around. It's usually in a good way, but when she's angry - believe me, it ain't pretty. We made it to bed, however, without anyone disturbed.

...Although I did think I heard a hint of a moan a few minutes after Jean had nestled into her blankets.

* * *

"Hogsmeade weekened day after tomorrow," Remus sighed, and stretched on the sofa.

"I supposed Jean's booked, eh?" I grinned, glancing at her. She rolled her eyes. Sirius and James burst into the common room at the moment, pretty muddy from Quidditch. They looked slightly scared as they banged the portrait hole shut.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Filch. Nearly got us," Sirius said, shortly.

"For what?" Remus eyed them suspiciously.

"Muddy feet," James huffed. "I suppose it was a rather weird offense, but the way he was looking at us - he might have been a hyena. He was pretty fast," he added, thoughtfully.

"I see." Remus seemed to be satisfied.

"Well, we were just commenting on Jean's... date," I added stress on the last word. The two in reference blushed.

"Padfoot... you know, I haven't seen anyone blush exactly fifteen times in one day," James observed. Sirius grinded his teeth.

"Sirius, believe me. You should be proud. Not embarassed," I reprimanded him.

"'M not embarassed," he in a muffled sort of voice, shooting a furtive look at Jean.

"Yeah, just sort of awe struck," put in James, grinning. Jean gave him a Look. It worked pretty well, as he kept quiet.

Sirius and James went up the staircase, and they came down a few minutes later, with Peter grinning after them. "Well, Pete's got a good idea for - " Sirius started to announce, but suddenly realized I was there, and shut his mouth.

"We've had our month's prank," I heard James hiss. Sirius made a face, then went and sat next to Jean. They snuggled up comfortably on a one-seater, and began to talk in low murmurs, hands trailing carelessly wherever they would. I smirked. I felt James sit down beside me and heave a long, low breath.

"Maybe I should slightly limit their activities..." James murmured, referring to his sister and his best friend.

"James! They're so happy together, can't you see?" I huffed, exasperated.

"I know..." he trailed off, as though there was a lump in his throat, "But she's still my little sister... Ah, well, I suppose you're right," he sighed, and bounced back onto the cushions.

"I think you need a little distraction," I said, slyly.

"I sure could use some. However, I vowed to stop hexing Slytherins, and our monthly prank is over. There isn't much left, because I'm not in the mood to practice any Transfiguration or anything... I have seriously never been so bored in my life!"

I brushed my hand against his. "Maybe you need some other sort of niceities," I whispered in his ear.

"Maybe..." he replied, with a trace of longing in his voice.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I felt him tense, slightly, then relax.

"Lily?"

"Mm?"

"Do you really want this?"

I jerked into a sitting position. "Why not?" I asked, slightly hurt.

"But... why anyway?" he frowned, confused. "After six years of hating me, you suddenly give in? It's just sort of confusing," he ended, lamely.

"James, grow up! Life's confusing!" I was extremely surprised when he started to smile, shyly.

"Say it again, please."

"Life's confusing?"

"No, the first thing."

"James, grow up...?"

"No, say it with more conviction."

Not exactly knowing where this was going, I willed myself to feel slightly annoyed at him. "James, grow up!" I said, loudly.

He grinned, "Now _that's_ the Lily I know of." And he pulled me straight onto his lap and into his arms.

I smirked, "Is that what you want, then? For me to keep telling you to grow up?"

"No," he said, seriously, "I want someone who's nice and intelligent and funny and warm - someone who has personality and temper. Someone who's loving and kind and pretty and interested in everything. Someone wonderful. Someone whose name is Lily Evans."

I don't know what made me, but I pretty much crashed our mouths together.


	4. Chapter 4

I felt sort of awkard after ending my extremely mushy speech, but the next second I felt my body hot tingling with heat as she kissed me. My arms automatically went round her waist as hers went round my neck.

After we resurfaced and caught our breath again, I smirked, "I certainly didn't see that one coming. Perhaps I should be on guard now."

"What are you saying? A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!" she grinned. She stuck her tongue out.

I raised an eyebrow, "And that's what you call _growing up_? By those standards, I was pretty mature back then."

"Ah, shut it."

"Aw, but you two were just getting interesting!" That was Sirius.

I gulped. Jean, right beside him, grinned, "Yes yes yes! Didn't I tell you I'd have fun? _Didn't_ I?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, you did say that. But please, not in public. Not _now_. We're busy," she added peevishly.

Remus snorted. She glared at him.

"Deal," Jean giggled, "Come on, Padfoot."

And they went out the portrait hole as Lily curled up against me. "And don't chase after them," she told me sternly, in my ear. "They've just gotten together yesterday."

"Yeah, I know, Mommy," I smiled. She batted my cheek lightly, then sighed as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"I'm sleepy," she yawned. At that second, her stomach rumbled.

"And you're also hungry," I put in. I was beginning to be aware of the fact that lots of people were watching us as though we were at display in a museum or something. Lily seemed not to know that however, as she replied normally.

"Correct. I wish your tongue was edible," she added, on a sudden thought.

"What for?" I asked, looking alarmed.

She laughed, "Well, then, I'd just have to kiss you and chew it off and then go to sleep." Then she made a face, "Ew, I've disgusted myself out."

A little bubble of laughter was going through the common room. Lily still didn't notice. My cheeks began to feel slightly hot, but I pretended to act as if nothing out of the usual was happening.

"Good. Now I doesn't have to watch as 'me beloved dear' tears me tongue straight out of me mouth," I chuckled.

"Hmmm... you never know," she grinned, watching me seriously.

"Yeah, you don't," I agreed, with as straight as a face as I could muster, and this time, I bent down and kissed her before she did.

A first-year giggled.

Lily broke away and glared at her. "And what are you all staring at?" she asked, as arrogantly as Sirius had, a week before. The girl who was the focus of Lily's glare at once looked like she was getting strangled.

"Sorry!" she gasped, and quickly ran up the stairway.

Lily relaxed. "Do you know any secret passages?"

I gaped at her.

"Wha - ?"

"Passages, James, secret passages. You boast of knowing so many all the time," she nudged me with her elbow.

"Yeah, I do know a _very_ many," I retorted.

"Well, then, why don't you take me to one?" she whispered, her hand on mine.

I began to smile slightly. "Oh, sure. What is it you want with them, though?"

"Nothing in particular..."

"I see. Am _I _nothing in particular?" I prodded, knowing where this was going. Remus grinned.

Lily turned pink, "Not exactly..."

"Well, I suppose I shall just have to find out when we get there, huh?" I laughed, getting up and leading her out the portrait hole, as the whole common room population watched us. As the Fat Lady's portrait swung shut, I thought I heard a hint of catcalls and whistles.

Lily look slightly disturbed. "What was that?"

"They're celebrating." I smirked inwardly.

"What about?"

"Us."

"Oh. Well... what about those secret passages, then?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Very well, my lady. You needn't be so reminding," I added, "I am extremely eager to get there, too." She blushed.

We went down the staircase pretty safely until - "And what is Lily Evans doing here? With James Potter, no less?" a vaguely familiar voice laughed. "I knew you'd see sense some day, Evans. Actually, I was just hoping to bump into you two... you know of the Graduation Ball is going to be held at Christamas?" Fabian Prewett came into view, smiling.

"Ye-es..." I hesitated.

"Well, we're allowed to invite more than one person. I knew you two - and Lupin, of course - would really like to set up the Ball decorations... and I was wondering whether you and your sister would come along. Molly wanted to... er... talk to you about something," he added to Lily, who was visibly trying to shrink into my shoulder.

"Oh," she said.

"Uh... right... well, I'd better go, Rose Diggory is probably getting mad at me - the seventh-year Prefects promised to meet with the Head Boy and Girl for plans for some new getup... You Marauders seem to be out of business?" he inquired, innocently.

"Us? No! We just decided to limit our activities because of - " I stopped myself from saying, _because I wanted to impress Lily_. "Because we wanted to focus a little more on the exams and everything... NEWTs won't be extremely easy, so it's better to practice while we can," I lied.

"Uh-huh?" he grinned. "Well, that's a change. Although I'm at loss to think whether it's for the better or no," he winked at me. Lily tried to glare at him - and failed. I smiled.

"So, is that all, then? Or is there something else other than the decorations?"

"Oh, no. I forgot. We took a vote and decided which sixth years to take part in the Ball, and we decided on some - your sister, the Marauders, and Lily Evans are included. There's a generous sprinkling of the other Houses. By the way, Marie Rayner - the only seventh-year Slytherin Prefect - didn't vote for a single Slytherin to be included. Perhaps she's turning over a new leaf. About time," he added.

"Well, excuse me. I believe you two were probably searching for some private space of your own," he rolled his eyes, and with a wave, left.

"Right. Why does Molly want to talk to me?" Lily said as soon as he left. I shrugged.

"Dunno."

"Hmm... d'you think she's pregnant?"

"WHA - ?" I almost yelled.

"Hush, keep it down! It's part of life to become pregnant, you idiot. Although I shouldn't be telling you this, because that's girl talk," she added, thoughtfully, still holding onto my hand.

"You bet it's girl talk. It's extremely disturbing if you ask me," I muttered.

"Well, I'm not asking you. I'm just wondering," she replied, laughing slightly.

By this time we'd reached a blank wall. I turned to her, feeling very important. "Okay, so what do you want?" I asked her. She raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me? I wanted some private space where no one could interrupt... whatever we were doing," she finished, color tinging her cheeks.

I grinned to myself. "Alright, so you go ahead, pace three times in front of this wall, thinking all that. See what happens."

"Is this some sort of joke?" she looked at me suspiciously.

"Nopes. Come on!"

"Oh, alright." And she paced in front of me, three times, brows knit together and her cute little freckled nose scrunched slightly, thinking hard. Finally, she paced three times, and stopped in front of the wall, in pure shock.

"Oh wow! There's a door! It wasn't here before, right?"

"I don't think so, my lady," I smirked.

"Hoookay?" she breathed out, grinning.

"Er... what are we waiting for?" I raised an eyebrow, slightly confused.

"For _you_ to sweep _me_ off my feet," she rejoined.

"No problem!" I bent down slightly by her side, one arm on her back, the other behind her knees, and swung her up. I wasn't used to carrying around fifty five kilograms of girl, but I managed to get her down on the sofa, albeit I was rather ungraceful about the 'getting her down' bit.

"Does that satisfy you?" I grinned into her astonished face.

"Very. I just need someone nice to hold hands with... I think you'll suffice."


End file.
